Remote control of outboard motor throttle



Dec. 27, 1949 v.1 E-DER ET AL 2,492,213

REMOTE CONTROL OF OUTBOARD MOTOR THROTTLE Filed June 16, 1948 l le.

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INVENTORS) VERNON L. E051? mm ALBERT E. flcKERET, .EY my,

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Patented Dec. 27, 1949 REMOTE CONTROL OF OUTBOARD MOTOR THROTTLE Vernon L. Eder and Albert E. Ackeret, Indianapolis, Ind.; said Ackeret assignor to said Eder Application J unc 16, 1948, Serial No. 33,254

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an attachment to be if applied to an outboard motor whereby the throttle of that motor may be controlled from a point or zone remotely located from the motor itself. A primary object of the invention is to provide a neat structure of light weight which may be readily applied and removed from the ordinary motor as now being constructed so that the control may be applied at will. Outboard motors are normally removed from the boat, and therefore the remote control attachment is made to be removable likewise.

A further primary object of the invention is to provide a remote control structure which may be positive in action without any backlash so that the throttle may be under complete control at all times.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of one particular form of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the upper portion of an outboard motor to which the invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is a view in top plan and partial section of the attaching structure;

Fig. 3, a view in vertical section on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4, a detail in front elevation of the throttle engaging member.

Referring to the drawing, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, we form a member ID in the nature of a spider, herein shown as being provided with the four legs I I, I2, l3, and 4 for engagement with some convenient spots on the upper side of the motor itself. As indicated in Fig. 1, the motor l5 has the spider Ill mounted thereon. Any suitable means such as cap screws (not shown) may be used to pass through the outer ends of these respective spider legs and engage screw-threadedly with the motor Hi.

The spider member ID is provided with a transverse slot I6 in which is slidingly positioned a rack bar I! with the teeth |8 disposed on the forward side thereof.

Forwardly of the rack bar l1 there is a circular recess l9 provided on the top side of the member l0, and there is a circular post 20 centrally located of this recess to extend upwardly therefrom. A gear member 2| is rotatively mounted in the recess l9 to center and turn around the post 20. This gear member 2| has teeth 22 engaging with the teeth I 8 of the rack bar l1, Fig. 2.

A lever arm 23 is fixed to the gear 2| to extend radially therefrom across a shelf 24 provided on the forward top side of the member H], the elevation of this shelf 24 being a few thousandths I of an inch preferably above the floor of the recess Ill. The shelf 24 is provided with end abutments 25 and 25 which limit the degree of rotation of the arm 23.

The outer end of the lever 23 is formed to have I a down turned fork comprising the two spaced apart fingers 21 and 28, Fig. 4. In the form herein shown, the lever 23 extends outwardly a suflicient distance to have a down turned end portion 29 which will clear the forward side of the motor l5 to permit the fingers 21 and 28 to straddle the engine throttle lever 30, without any side play so that the throttle lever 30 is fixed in position between these two fingers to be immediately responsive to travel of the lever 23.

A cap 3| is provided to fit over the gear 2| and the rack bar to be seated against the top face of the post 2|! and also to seat against the face 32 of the member In which is at the same elevation as the top face of the post 20, which face 32 is that portion of the body surrounding the gear 2| and back of the rack bar IT. The cap 3| is secured in position and held against rotation by any suitable means, herein shown as by the two screws 33 and 34 which are passed upwardly through the member I0, through the post 20, to screw-threadedly engage with the underside of the cap 3|.

On each side of the cap 3| there is a down turned ear 35 and 36 respectively spaced outwardly from the open ends of the slot I6.

A cable shield 31 is fixed in the eye 38 of the ear 36, to have an internal wire 39 which is slidable through the cable 31 extend on inwardly from the ear 36 and be secured to the end of the rack bar l1, Fig. 2, by any suitable means such as by a set screw 48. In the usual manner, the wire 39 may be pushed or pulled from the remote position, at which position the engine speed is to be controlled. If the cable is desired to go from the other side of the engine for that control, it may be inserted through the ear 35 on the other side in the same manner as has just been described in reference to the cable being mounted through the ear 36.

In any event, the push-pull wire 39 may be operated to reciprocate the rack bar I! in its groove 6 and thereby rotate the gear 2|, to cause the lever 23 to travel horizontally in its limited arc of travel as determined by the end abutments 25 and 26. These abutments are provided at the predetermined angular spacing apart which will permit the full operation of the enginethrottle lever 30.

Thus it is to be seen that we have provided a very simple, but positively operating structure for remotely controlling the position of the engine throttle 30, and while We have herein described and shown the invention in the one precise form, structural changes may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, and. we therefore do not desire to belimited to that preciseform' beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claim.

We claim:

A device for remotely controlling the throttle lever position of an outboard motor comprising in combination a body member; means for positioning the body member onthe motor; said body having a transverse slot and a vertically cylindrical recess therein; a rack bar in said slot; a post extending vertically through said recess to form a relatively fixed bearing; a circular toothed member revolubly mounted on the post and having its teeth in constant mesh with the teeth of saidrack bar; a lever fixed to said toothed member and extending therefrom; said lever having an outer end turned downwardly and bifurcated to form a V-slot entering from its under side into which thethrottle' level" may be wedged; a cap carried by the post in a position over said body;

4 a pair of ears carried by said cap across opposite ends of said slot; each of said ears having a cable eye therethrough; cables fixed to opposite ends of said rack bar; each of said cables consisting of two parts, namely an outer portion fixed in one of said eyes and an inne portion sli'dable in said outerportion.

VERNON L. EDER. ALBERT E. ACKERET.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,580,877 Barber Apr. 13,1926 2,029,485 Kesling Feb. 4 1936 2,251,893 Snell Aug 5, 1941 2,432,020. Laesser Dec. 2, 1947 2,435,339 Bright Feb. 3, 1948 

